There is no money for an HIV vaccine in Russia

St. Petersburg scientists have suspended the development of an HIV vaccine

FontankaThe development of an HIV vaccine in St. Petersburg has been temporarily suspended.

Andrey Kozlov, Director of the Biomedical Center, Professor of St. Petersburg State University, told the Fontanka correspondent about this. The reason was the lack of funding, which has not been received from the federal center for a year.

Recall that St. Petersburg scientists from the State Research Institute of Especially Pure Biological Products, St. Petersburg State University and the Biomedical Center have been trying to create an HIV vaccination for 15 years. Together with them, Moscow and Novosibirsk colleagues participate in the project. In 2008, researchers received support from the government of the Russian Federation – one billion rubles. As a result, in 2010, the residents of St. Petersburg managed to make a leap forward: they developed the DNA-4 vaccine and successfully tested it on a group of 22 volunteers. The Moscow Institute of Immunology of the FMBA, as well as the Novosibirsk Center of Virology "Vector" have developed their own drugs.

"However, in 2011, the program we were working on was transferred from one department of the Ministry of Health and Social Development to another and "forgotten". The funds have run out, the government is in no hurry to provide them again. Our institute, various departments, and the Rector of St. Petersburg State University Nikolai Kropachev reported this to the ministry. However, we did not receive a clear and intelligible answer," Andrei Kozlov said.

Now, according to Kozlov, St. Petersburg scientists are trying to attract funding from other sources. In particular, they plan to receive 30 million rubles from the Skolkovo Foundation to test the therapeutic properties of the new vaccine.

Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru
14.02.2012